Ductwork conveys gases, typically air, from point to point. For example, heating and air conditioning (HVAC) systems use ducts to carry heated or cooled air and sometimes steam from place to place within a building and occasionally from one building to a nearby one. Ductwork is also used to carry industrial exhaust gases, fumes, dust, shavings, and other pollutants from work areas to an external exhaust through a cleaning or scrubbing station that removes contaminants. Ducts may also be used for such purposes as enclosing a set of electrical conduits.
Depending on the particular installation, it may be necessary to mount and support ductwork in any of several different ways. Some ductwork may be outdoors, for example on the walls or roof of an industrial building, and must be mounted securely enough to protect against the weather without overstressing and perhaps collapsing the duct. Other ductwork may be installed indoors in overhead spaces such as above a suspended ceiling, and in this case the ductwork itself must be suspended from overhead structure. Still other ductwork may be located in spaces between walls, in basements, or in other environments each of which imposes unique mounting considerations.
Various items of hardware such as u-channel supports, angles, straps, clips, threaded shafts, and other things which may be made of steel, plastic, wood, or other materials are typically used to fashion mounting and support elements for ductwork. These mounting and support elements are often individually modified or hand-crafted on the job site of a ductwork installation project as needed.